4th of July Concerts

A Capitol FourthActor Barry Bostwick hosts a gala anniversary celebration with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Erich Kunzel. Features Grammy award-winning Latin music star Gloria Estefan, The Beach Boys, recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees The O' Jays and renowned Irish tenor Ronan Tynan. Actors Jimmy Smits and Sharon Lawrence will also appear, as will classical crossover artists Il Divo and American Idol's Kimberley Locke. The show will be capped off by Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" complete with live cannon fire provided by the United States Army Salute Battery. The works of John Williams will also be featured at the concert in a salute to the music of "Stars Wars."

America's 2005 Independence Day ConcertThe Washington Monument serves as backdrop to music and fireworks at the national Fourth of July celebration. The evening's concert begins at 4 p.m., with the United States Navy Band and Kathy Mattea. The National Mall and Memorial Parks Ranger Staff will present Living History Vignettes during the concert. Music and vignettes will continue until 9:05 p.m. Located near the southwest corner of the Washington Monument grounds, 17th Street and Independence Avenue SW. The traditional fireworks display will appear over the monument at 9:10 p.m.

Information regarding parking, transportation (metro), and security on the National Mall this Fourth of July can be found here.

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One of the most common questions on the Yahoo Group is about practice space and where to find it. A list is being compiled here of practice spaces in the D.C. Metro Area, which you'll be able to access anytime through the link under "Resources For Musicians" in the right hand column. If you have something to add, please post it as a comment below. The list will be updated as people submit more information.

Today's #WIFL selections feature a pair of post-genre bands with names that feature clever wordplay. First up we have Sad Baxter, the Nashville duo and Berklee alums who craft sardonically sludgy grunge pop. If "Shut Up and Kiss Me" and "Celebrity Skin" had a love-hate child who wandered the Appalachian Trail down to Tennessee, you might experience something not unlike their single "Baby". Their EP So Happy drops July 20 on Cold Lunch Recordings.

Next up we have DC's own Ménage À Garage, a punk pop trio crafting wordy, occasionally absurd, treatises on life in the nation's capital and across the universe. "Take It As It Comes", which not coincidentally was their Tiny Desk Contest entry this past year, is the leadoff single from their forthcoming EP More Human Than You. Jangly guitars and singsong vocals anoint this band as a spiritual successor of that Dischord post-punk sound, as well as the genre-defying rock of bands like the Weak…

This Friday you have the opportunity to catch two of DC's most dynamic musical duos, on that rarest of nights where shows have minimal overlap. On the early side, we have Two Dragons and a Cheetah and allthebestkids at Red Panda House. You might recall our coverage of 2D+C's protest song just prior to the new year. Like a post-modern Local H, Maryjo Mattea and Joel Wu craft a sound that's inordinately loud for a duo, but manages to be toe-tappingly engaging at the same time. Mattea's vocals juxtaposes the operatic timbre of Pat Benatar with the dusky sensuality of The Divinyls' Christina Amphlett, while drummer Wu imparts a funky, hardcore sensibility to the duo's songs. The pair live in different cities, a la The Postal Service, so catching a live show in DC is a rare treat.